Pohoda Festival

The festival

What is Pohoda Festival

Pohoda, a Slovak word meaning something like ease or being relaxed, is the country’s main music festival. In the first half of July, the former Trenčín airport, in the Váh valley in western Slovakia, turns into a city of stages, tents and campsites, featuring artists from many countries and audiences from across Central Europe.

The festival began in 1997 as a one-day event at Trenčín’s municipal stadium with eight bands, part of celebrations of the town’s historical city rights. In subsequent years it expanded to two days and moved to the Pod Sokolicami area near the exhibition grounds, where literature and classical music stages were added. In 2004 it settled at the former military airport, where it remains, growing into one of the largest open-air festivals in Central Europe.

Pohoda’s hallmark is a mix of genres. On the main outdoor stages you’ll find international names from rock, pop, hip-hop and electronic music; in the tents there is jazz, world music, classical concerts with Slovak orchestras, theatre, contemporary dance, film screenings, readings and talks, plus an area for non-profit organisations. Programming runs from early afternoon into the night.

Many visitors camp in the festival area during the event. Trenčín, with its castle perched on the cliff above the old town, is a few kilometres away and makes a good complement for days before or after the shows.

Pohoda is worth the trip if you enjoy summer festivals with varied programming and a friendly atmosphere: it is Slovakia’s major music gathering and pairs well with stops in Bratislava, Vienna or the castles of the Váh valley.